Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on June 9th 2004 by grymater.
This tune has been added to 106 tunebooks.
Also known as Sailor's Wife.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Sailor's Wife, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
B|:"Em"EFG F2E | e2f g2a | bag fed | "G"Bd"D"B AFD |
"Em"EFG F2E | e2f g2a | ba"B7"g fe^d | "Em"e3 e3 :|
|:"G"gab gab | gab bag | "D"fda fda | fg"B7"a agf |
"Em"gab bag | "D"fga agf | "Em"ef"B7"g fe^d | "Em"e3 e3 :|
Also heard in D minor instead of E minor....
... at least that's the way we play it at the Starry Plough in Berkeley on Sunday nights....
Great tune either way!
# Posted on October 11th 2004 by dlowder
The Sailor's Wife
This tune was used in Joss Whedon's 2003 science fiction TV series 'Firefly' - in the episode called 'Safe' as a dance tune being played on a planetary colony some 500 years in the future. Nice to know traditional tunes have that kind of staying power.
Jacey Bedford
# Posted on November 6th 2005 by jacey
"The Sailor's Wife" ~ a rescued duplication, where it was filed under 'mazurka'
"Gan Ainm"
Key signature: d minor
Submitted on October 18th 2007 by cilla.
~ /tunes/display/7875
X: 1
T: Gan Ainm
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: mazurka (jig)
K: d minor
A, |:
(this transcription was identical to the one that next follows as 6/8)
This lovely unknown tune ~ I learned this sweet but sad tune in Edinburgh around 1982 when I lived there for the year. I wish I knew it's name. I've been playing it ever since. It's not really a mazurka, but it's not a waltz either. Maybe a dirge? I'm so bad at remembering names. Hope the key is right, too, not so great at that either. But I love this tune. Also, does anyone know what type of tune it is (air, waltz?) I love this site, you all are a wealth of information, and I'm learning lots following the discussions. Well here it is, it took me all day to figure out the ABCs...
X: 2
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dm
O: Scottish
S: The Folk Song Society, Edinburgh @ 1982
A, |:
DEF E2 D | d2 e f2 g | agf edc | AcA GEC |
DEF E2 D | d2 e f2 g | afd efe | d3 d3 :|
|: fga fga | fga agf | efg efg | efg gfe |
fga agf | efg gfe | fdf e=ce | d3 d2 :|
# Posted on October 18th 2007 by cilla
The Sailor's Wife
Sorry it's already here in e minor, though Alasdair Fraser plays it in d minor as you transcribed it.
# Posted on October 18th 2007 by Pere
QUESTION ~ what exactly is copyrighted by The Folk Song Society of Edinburgh? Is this a recent compositions by someone, and if so, by who? Or, is this more of that silliness of changing a few notes and copyrighting the 'arrangement'?
# Posted on October 21st 2007 by ceolachan
"The Sailor's Wife" - in D minor with sharp 7th
I like this version from Jack Campin's "illustrated tutorial on modes and tonality in Scottish music" www.campin.me.uk.
It uses sharp leading notes, and has (to my ears) a more traditional Scottish B part.
X:1
T:The Sailor's Wife
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=112
K:DMin
% hexatonic, sharpened C leading notes
E|DEF E2D|d2e f2g|agf edc |AcA GEC|
DEF E2D|d2e f2g|agf ed^c|d3 D2:|
e|f>ga fga|fga agf|ecg ecg |ecg gfe|
f>ga agf|efg gfe|def ed^c|d3 D2:|
# Posted on October 30th 2008 by Whistling Savage
Jack Campin's homepage ~
http://www.campin.me.uk/
# Posted on February 3rd 2009 by ceolachan
"The Sailor's Wife" ~ "Firefly"; Episode 6: "Safe"; 12:40; d minor
K: Dmin
Just in case anyone was wondering, but I haven't a clue who the band is. If you play winds, flute or whistle, don't take the supposedly 'easy' option of playing this on a C instrument, it is much nice played on a standard old D flute or whistle, and much cooler, especially the light slur from E to F natural... It ain't difficult either... Have fun giving it a go, in the past and speculative future sense...
Aside from being a recent convert to "Firefly", we've come across this jig being played for early and Scottish country dance (Playford and RSCDS approved and regulated ~ and not), New England/American contras, and Maritime quadrilles (Cape Breton and its neighbours)...
Another take in d minor can be found here, a lovely little collection of assorted dance tunes, now in 2 volumes ~
"The Portland Collection (#1):
Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest"
Susan Songer & Clyde Curley ~ who regularly play for contra dances in Portland, Oregon and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest...
Page 171: "The Sailor's Wife"
There are welcomed notes on all tunes, including this tune on page 272
I have yet to chase up volume 2, but going by volume 1, I'm sure it will be a valued addition to our library...
# Posted on February 6th 2009 by ceolachan